This research work tests a model about the intention of using renewable energy sources at the rural household level in Iran. The model focuses on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), which we expand to investigate the factors influencing the intention of using renewable energy sources. By drawing on the responses of 280 household heads in the rural areas of Zabol county (located in the south of Iran) and employing a multivariate technique of structural equation modeling, we identified four variables perceived behavioural control, awareness, relative advantage, and moral norms which had statistically significant positive relationships with the variable of intention and explained about 46% of its variances. However, there was no significant relationship between intention and social norms. In addition, the attitude variable mediated the relationship of intention with three variables awareness, relative advantage, and moral norms. After the inclusion of the variable of attitude as mediating variable in the model, the predictive power of the model was found to increase up to 19%. The findings not only provide evidence for the five mediated paths in the cognitive processing of intention of using renewable energy but also provide support to investment decisions for developing renewable energy in the rural areas of Iran and other developing countries. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.